Technical Debt Management

  1. Identifying Technical Debt
    1. Static Analysis and Code Metrics
      1. Cyclomatic Complexity
        1. Measuring Code Complexity
          1. Identifying High-Risk Areas
            1. Complexity Thresholds and Guidelines
            2. Code Churn
              1. Tracking Frequency of Code Changes
                1. Highlighting Unstable Components
                  1. Correlating Churn with Defects
                  2. Code Coverage
                    1. Assessing Test Thoroughness
                      1. Identifying Untested Code
                        1. Coverage Types and Metrics
                        2. Maintainability Index
                          1. Quantifying Ease of Maintenance
                            1. Comparing Across Modules
                              1. Factors Affecting Maintainability
                              2. Code Smells Detection
                                1. Identifying Common Code Smells
                                  1. Automated Detection Tools
                                    1. Prioritizing Smell Remediation
                                    2. Dependency Analysis
                                      1. Identifying Circular Dependencies
                                        1. Measuring Coupling Metrics
                                          1. Analyzing Dependency Graphs
                                          2. Duplication Detection
                                            1. Finding Copy-Paste Code
                                              1. Measuring Code Similarity
                                                1. Refactoring Opportunities
                                              2. Manual Identification Methods
                                                1. Code Reviews
                                                  1. Peer Review Practices
                                                    1. Identifying Potential Debt During Review
                                                      1. Review Checklists and Guidelines
                                                      2. Pair Programming
                                                        1. Real-time Debt Recognition
                                                          1. Knowledge Sharing
                                                            1. Collaborative Problem Solving
                                                            2. Architectural Reviews
                                                              1. Evaluating System Design
                                                                1. Spotting Architectural Weaknesses
                                                                  1. Design Decision Documentation
                                                                  2. Retrospectives and Team Feedback
                                                                    1. Gathering Developer Insights
                                                                      1. Documenting Recurring Issues
                                                                        1. Action Item Generation
                                                                        2. Technical Interviews and Surveys
                                                                          1. Structured Team Assessments
                                                                            1. Anonymous Feedback Collection
                                                                              1. Pain Point Identification
                                                                            2. Dynamic Analysis
                                                                              1. Performance Profiling
                                                                                1. Identifying Performance Bottlenecks
                                                                                  1. Analyzing Resource Utilization
                                                                                    1. Load Testing Results
                                                                                    2. Memory Leak Detection
                                                                                      1. Tools for Leak Identification
                                                                                        1. Impact on System Stability
                                                                                          1. Memory Usage Patterns
                                                                                          2. Runtime Error Analysis
                                                                                            1. Exception Tracking
                                                                                              1. Error Rate Monitoring
                                                                                                1. Failure Pattern Analysis
                                                                                              2. Creating a Technical Debt Registry
                                                                                                1. Purpose and Benefits
                                                                                                  1. Centralized Tracking
                                                                                                    1. Visibility for Stakeholders
                                                                                                      1. Historical Trend Analysis
                                                                                                      2. Tracking Tools
                                                                                                        1. Issue Trackers
                                                                                                          1. Custom Debt Logs
                                                                                                            1. Integrated Development Environment Plugins
                                                                                                            2. Information to Capture for Each Debt Item
                                                                                                              1. Description of Debt
                                                                                                                1. Location in Codebase
                                                                                                                  1. Impact Assessment
                                                                                                                    1. Estimated Remediation Effort
                                                                                                                      1. Priority and Status
                                                                                                                        1. Creation Date and Reporter
                                                                                                                          1. Business Impact
                                                                                                                          2. Registry Maintenance
                                                                                                                            1. Regular Review Processes
                                                                                                                              1. Debt Item Lifecycle Management
                                                                                                                                1. Stakeholder Communication

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                                                                                                                            2. Types of Technical Debt

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                                                                                                                            4. Measuring and Quantifying Technical Debt